Coalition urged to protect the Arctic environment

Greenpeace and the Green Party will urge the coalition to protect the Arctic from the 'reckless' race for oil in the region, according to a report by the Guardian.

The heated issue comes to a fore in the House of Commons over the apparent support by ministers for oil exploration in the region.

Greenpeace will call for the most stringent operating conditions, which is the first call for such action since the Environmental Audit Committee of MPs decided to set up a special review called 'Protecting the Arctic'.

Joan Walley MP, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, commented on the ironic nature of fossil fuels in contributing to global warming, which has opened up the Arctic straights for oil exploration. The committee will look at what the UK government can do to ensure the protection of the environment and whether drilling for oil in the difficult terrain is even possible.

Countries around the Arctic, such as Greenland, have already licensed offshore drilling in the region, which has intensified the debate in the Commons.

According to Ruth Davis, chief policy adviser at Greenpeace: "The oil industry has done all it can to avoid discussing the safety of drilling in the most inhospitable conditions on the planet, where a spill would devastate wildlife and be almost impossible to clean up."

Posted by Joseph Hutton